Aged care professionals can now collaborate, share ideas, and gain knowledge in real-time with an online platform called the innovAGEING Open Lab, delivered with Gold Partner, KontentLabs.

innovAGEING Principal Adviser, Merlin Kong, said the Open Lab is vital infrastructure in delivering on the innovation network’s open innovation principles.

“As our industry becomes more market-driven, we’re faced with the imperative to deliver more and better services with the same level of resources, or in some instances, with less,” Mr Kong said.

“Compounded with ever-increasing complex challenges, no single organisation, or isolated cluster of organisations, can solve our industry’s problems by themselves.

“With the innovAGEING Open Lab, we’re providing interested organisations and individuals the opportunity to collaborate – in essence, taking existing resources and rearranging them in ways that create more value for the industry, and older Australians.

“We’re fortunate to work with KontentLabs on this initiative, as they understand usability considerations, and the Open Lab has been purpose-built to allow network members to do what they want in 3 seconds, or 3 clicks, or less.” Mr Kong said there is a growing need to accelerate innovation and collaboration in our industry to translate ideas into action, resulting in better services that older Australians want to use and access. “The ability to learn, share and provide insight on aged care innovation is a driving and motivational force, and the Open Lab will become vital in not only reaching all stakeholders, but doing so quickly.” Executive Producer of KontentLabs, Marc Niemes, said KontentLabs is proud to be able to support the aged care industry though the innovAGEING Open Lab.

“It is our team’s belief that the best people to solve frontline and organisational care challenges are the people already there. The best people to both decide and help promote leading aged care innovation are those professionals already within the sector. We are very proud to be able to provide our technology to facilitate the best practice exchange of solutions and ideas in support of both the industry and older Australians.” Mr Niemes said.